Dragon Stream Peak's Predicament, the Fate of Sword Cultivators

After learning about the Seven Peaks Grand Competition, Zhong Ming thumped his chest and vowed that he would give it his all and help Dragon Stream Peak seize first place.

He said so partly because he was determined to take first himself.

But more than that, Zhong Ming instinctively believed that every peak's Senior Disciple Sister took pride in her own mountain, believing her peak and its cultivation methods to be the strongest.

Not wanting to be disliked by his Senior Disciple Sister, Zhong Ming naturally talked up his own peak's ranking before Mo Shuying.

Yet after saying that, Zhong Ming discovered that Mo Shuying showed little excitement upon hearing his words. Her expression was instead extremely complicated.

"Forget first place. If you truly regard Dragon Stream Peak as your home, then do everything you can to claim a spot in the top three."

After a pause, she added, "If that truly proves impossible, at least hold on to a place in the top five."

"Huh?"

"Top three? Top five?"

His Senior Disciple Sister's response left Zhong Ming stunned.

With only seven peaks in the Seven Mysteries Sect, fifth place was not merely an ordinary ranking—it was third from the bottom.

He did not understand why Mo Shuying, who had always carried herself so forcefully and even somewhat coldly, would set such a low target for the Seven Peaks Grand Competition.

Zhong Ming's confusion was quickly answered.

After confirming that Zhong Ming's Class A rating had been accepted, Mo Shuying took out a piece of silk. Then, using spiritual power, she wrote Zhong Ming's name and rating upon it.

The silk was a magic artifact that displayed the Young Dragon Ranking in real time. Once Zhong Ming's name was entered, it appeared at the very bottom, in thirty-ninth place.

That alone was nothing unusual. With mediocre spiritual roots and having broken through on the final day, his ranking was never going to be high.

What made Zhong Ming's eyes widen was that the Young Dragon Ranking displayed not only the names of Seven Mysteries Sect disciples, but also the peaks they belonged to and their cultivation levels.

And the cultivation levels of the top three were all, astonishingly, Mid Qi Condensation.

First place: Yan Chen (Molten Fire Peak), cultivation: Mid Qi Condensation, points (517)

Second place: Su Lingya (Green Fragrance Mountain), cultivation: Mid Qi Condensation, points (487)

Third place: Han Yu (Pháp Ấn Peak), cultivation: Mid Qi Condensation, points (483)

Fourth place...

"Mid Qi Condensation? How are they so strong? Did they cultivate beforehand?"

Seeing Zhong Ming's astonishment, Mo Shuying shook her head. "No. They reached Mid Qi Condensation within these seven days."

Zhong Ming said, "That fast?"

Sensing Zhong Ming's disbelief, Mo Shuying explained, "Yan Chen, Su Lingya, and Han Yu may not have cultivated in advance, but they all came from prominent clans or were children of this sect's elders."

"People like them had their bodies tempered from childhood through all manner of medicinal baths and heavenly treasures. Their meridians were tougher than those of ordinary people, and under the guidance of their elders, they had long been exposed to knowledge of cultivation."

"With such thorough preparation, their starting point was several times faster than that of ordinary people."

"Beyond that, they also possessed treasures bestowed by their family elders."

"For instance, Yan Chen possessed the top-grade magic artifact embryo, the Earth Fire Melting Furnace. Though he could not wield the artifact perfectly, even a fraction of its power greatly increased his strength and could assist his cultivation."

"Han Yu possessed a top-grade jade talisman. As for Su Lingya, she possessed the Moon Toad, a treasure capable of drawing in the essence of moonlight..."

Mo Shuying's explanation made Zhong Ming understand the importance of wealth.

It also made him realize that Yi Yunya, Zhuang Yi, and Jiang Yue of Dragon Stream Peak were not truly children of nobility.

Most of the truly wealthy were on the other peaks.

Because our luck was poor and no truly wealthy clan heirs came here, Senior Disciple Sister has no expectations for this assessment's ranking... No, that's not it!

After scanning the Young Dragon Ranking once more, surprise appeared on Zhong Ming's face, along with a frown.

He noticed something: Dragon Stream Peak not only lacked direct descendants of top clans, it even had fewer ordinary geniuses than the other peaks.

"There are seven peaks in the Seven Mysteries Sect. Our Dragon Stream Peak has only four Class A ratings. If they were evenly distributed, there should be twenty-eight Class A ratings... I was an accident. Excluding me, there are only twenty-one."

"Yet now, my ranking is already thirty-ninth."

After examining it closely, Zhong Ming found that Dragon Stream Peak and a peak called Mingshi Peak were birds of a feather.

Both peaks had very few Class A ratings, far fewer than the others.

The sight gave rise to an irrepressible thought within Zhong Ming:

Could our Dragon Stream Peak... be very weak?

Just as Zhong Ming was full of doubts, a voice suddenly sounded beside him.

"Junior Brother Zhong, you are wondering why so few disciples from our Dragon Stream Peak made it onto the ranking, aren't you?"

The sudden voice made Zhong Ming turn his head.

He then discovered that it was Yi Yunya who had spoken.

By then, she had emerged from her regret.

Deep-minded yet resilient by nature, she had not sunk into silent despair. Instead, she had come to Zhong Ming's side.

Unaware of the complicated changes in her heart, Zhong Ming found nothing strange about her arrival.

He nodded and calmly said, "I am indeed curious. Senior Sister, do you know the reason?"

"Of course I do."

Having said that, she did not immediately answer Zhong Ming's question. Instead, she smiled gently at him. "Junior Brother Zhong, you should know that even those given Class A or Class B ratings must join the Demon Suppressing Division and fight Demons and Monsters, correct?"

Zhong Ming said, "I know, but does that have anything to do with Dragon Stream Peak lacking top geniuses?"

"It does. It has a great deal to do with it." Smiling with a trace of mockery, Yi Yunya began explaining the reason. "Do you think that after joining the Demon Suppressing Division, swordsmen like us do the same work as cultivators who refine pills and artifacts?"

"Uh..."

The moment she said that, Zhong Ming understood. Seeing his expression, Yi Yunya's smile grew gentler. "It seems Junior Brother Zhong has understood something already."

"Just as you think, alchemists, artifact refiners, talisman masters, formation masters... those who specialize in such arts, even after joining the Demon Suppressing Division, work in the logistics departments. Each month, they only need to hand over a certain number of magic artifacts, talismans, or pills, and they need not go to the front lines."

"But swordsmen from Dragon Stream Peak and body cultivators from Mingshi Peak are different. We must fight Demons and Monsters."

"Even for the sake of cultivation, we have no choice but to go."

Zhong Ming deeply agreed with that final statement.

His cultivation over the past few days had made Zhong Ming understand something: different paths of cultivation demanded different things.

Other paths, even cultivators who practiced spells, could advance through comprehending heaven, earth, and nature.

Swordsmen were different. No matter how beautifully one spoke of it, no matter how much meaning one gave it, one fact could not be changed: the sword was an instrument of slaughter.

And so, to advance, swordsmen had to contend with others and undergo hardship through battle.

The difference could even be seen in storybooks. In those tales of immortals and heroes, alchemists, artifact refiners, and even cultivators of Daoist arts could remain in one place and live like recluses.

Swordsmen and wandering heroes, however, were always traveling far and wide, righting wrongs and upholding justice.

That was freedom and elegance, but it was also the fate of swordsmen. They had to fight people, fight demons, and even fight the heavens before their sword intent could flow unimpeded.

Moreover, only with a spirit that was unrestrained and free, fearless before all things, even unafraid of death, could sword cultivators become powerful figures upon the path of the sword.

This path really was far too dangerous.

From Yi Yunya, Zhong Ming learned that sword cultivation had always been the hardest and most perilous path.

Out of a hundred sword cultivators, eight or nine out of ten would perish before reaching the end.

Of course, in return, sword cultivators possessed peerless combat power.

One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Arts—those words alone were enough to show the strength of sword cultivators.

Things were better in the past. Wandering the martial world for experience mostly meant fighting other people. And disciples from major sects would be shown some face by others; even if they lost, they would not die.

The martial world had never been only about fighting and killing; it was also about human relationships and worldly affairs.

Such mutual restraint meant that although Dragon Stream Peak disciples suffered casualties when venturing out for experience, the death rate was never too high.

Though repeated defeats would cloud a sword cultivator's sword heart, perhaps even render them unworthy of the name sword cultivator, they would at least remain alive.

But now, the enemies we face are demons, monsters, and evil beings. They do not care whether you come from a prestigious family or a humble one.

And to preserve the relentless, forward-driving mindset of the sword path, Dragon Stream Peak disciples cannot simply turtle up and refuse to emerge...

Thinking that far, Zhong Ming bitterly realized that if he had children, then even if he himself belonged to Dragon Stream Peak, he would have his descendants choose another peak rather than practice the sword with him.

Under such circumstances, it made sense that Dragon Stream Peak had fewer powerful experts and gifted prodigies than the other peaks.

After learning of Dragon Stream Peak's situation, Zhong Ming sighed. But he quickly rallied and spoke to Mo Shuying. "Senior Disciple Sister, with Dragon Stream Peak in such difficult circumstances, does the Seven Mysteries Sect not provide any support or preferential treatment?"

Though he had learned that Dragon Stream Peak was in poor circumstances and that his own future would be dangerous, Zhong Ming recovered in only a few breaths. That made Mo Shuying regard him more highly.

Then, in response to Zhong Ming's question, Mo Shuying nodded. "There is some, but do not hold too much hope."

"Why?"

This time, Zhong Ming was truly surprised. Chaotic times produced heroes.

Sword cultivators were difficult to raise, but once they succeeded, their combat power was immensely formidable.

And in this dangerous world, Zhong Ming believed the Seven Mysteries Sect should be in desperate need of powerful combatants.

Therefore, he believed that so long as the sect master or elders possessed any sense of crisis, they would fully support Dragon Stream Peak.

Zhong Ming voiced all his thoughts. Hearing his doubts, the sigh on Mo Shuying's face deepened. "You are right. At the beginning, the sect master and elders thought the same. They gave considerable support to us and Mingshi Peak. Outstanding disciples were practically left for us to choose as we pleased, and resources were tilted toward us. Yet when those disciples went out to gain experience, they either died or were crippled. Almost all of them were lost."

"The sect could not bear such losses, so it reduced its support for us."

That result left Zhong Ming unsure what to say.

In the end, it was because the Seven Mysteries Sect was not a superpower.

Major powers could ignore losses. As long as they cultivated even one sword cultivator, it was worth the cost.

But for the Seven Mysteries Sect, there was a great chance that even after investing all its resources and talent, it would fail to raise a true sword cultivator.

If too many gifted disciples died, the Seven Mysteries Sect would face a gap in its ranks and even risk decline.

As Zhong Ming fell silent, Mo Shuying continued, "At present, the sect is divided into two factions regarding us. One faction favors us, believing that the Seven Mysteries Sect cannot lose its sharpest blade. Otherwise, the sect will gradually decline. Thus, they believe that no matter how great the losses, sword cultivators must be raised."

"The other faction believes that continued support consumes too many resources and too much talent. There is no need to wait for the future—within at most thirty to fifty years, the Seven Mysteries Sect will completely decline."

At that point, Mo Shuying looked solemnly at Zhong Ming, Xue Yao, Yi Yunya, and Zhuang Yi.

"Right now, the two factions are still locked in bitter dispute, and your performances will be able to influence the sect's decision to a certain extent!"

"This concerns Dragon Stream Peak's future, and it is closely tied to all of you as well."

"If you prove your abilities and persuade the sect to give its full support, the resources and benefits you receive will be more than ten times what they are now."